Ferrero battles into last 16

Share:

January 24, 2004 15:54 IST

Third seed Juan Carlos Ferrero battled past big-hitting Swede Joachim Johansson 6-1 7-6 6-7 6-4 to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open.

The gritty Spaniard put in another determined display, breezing through the first set and clinching the second-set tiebreak with a blistering ace down the centre line.

French Open champion Ferrero, who hurt his shoulder and elbow in his previous match against Italian Filippo Volandri, suffered a let-down in the third set as Johansson took it on another tiebreak.

But a fired-up Ferrero broke in the seventh game of the fourth set and wrapped up proceedings on his first match point, forcing his opponent into a wild forehand after two hours, 28 minutes.

Get Rediff News in your Inbox:
Share: